Vibration dampeners for sewing machine lighting fixtures



F. PARRY Jan. 16, 1962 VIBRATION DAMPENERS FOR SEWING MACHINE LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed July 15, 1959 INVENTOR. Frank Parry BY ZTORNEY United States Patent 3,017,498 VIBRATION DAMPENERS FOR SEWING MACHINE LIGHTING FIXTURES Frank Parry, Trumbull, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 13, 1959, Ser. No. 826,766 1 Claim. (Cl. 2402.14)

This invention relates to sewing machines having lighting fixtures carried thereby for illuminating the stitching area, and more particularly, to a novel and improved manner of supporting a lighting fixture on a sewing machine so as to minimize vibration thereof.

It is an object of this invention to provide a Support for a sewing machine lighting fixture which eliminates objectionable vibration of the fixture with respect to the sewing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighting fixture support of the above character which is readily obtainable, inexpensive, and economical to manufacture and assemble.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a means for damping vibration of a sewing machine lighting attachment which is inconspicuous and does not detract from the appearance of the sewing machine.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention will be described hereinbelow in the preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a sewing machine having this invention applied thereto,

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line G3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a portable sewing machine indicated generally as 11 having a cylinder bed 12 extending from a base 13 fitted with a U-shaped tubular supporting member 14. A standard 15 rising from the base 13 supports a bracket arm 16 which extends over the cylinder bed and terminates in a sewing head 17 in which a needle bar 18 is journaled.

An access opening at the juncture of the standard and bracket arm is covered by a plate 20 secured in place on the rim of the access opening by a knurled screw 21. Secured to the sewing machine casing behind the plate 20 by a fastening screw 22 is a bracket 23 which has fastened thereto the socket portion 24 of a lighting fixture. A pair of spring arms 25-25 extend from the socket 24 for the purpose of securing together, and in place relatively to the socket 24, a lens 26 and a lamp shade 27.

As thus far described, the lighting fixture and supporting bracket 23 are conventional, the lamp shade 27 and lens 26 being suspended in cantilevered fashion. With such an arrangement, the lighting fixture will not only partake of the vibration of the sewing machine incident to the operation thereof, but, in addition, the cantilevered shade and lens portion will vibrate independently of the sewing machine frame. Such lighting fixture vibration at different and often higher amplitude than that of the sewing machine frame causes objectionable flickering of reflection, shadow, etc., in the stitching area.

Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional needle bar driving shaft 30 arranged lengthwise in the bracket arm 16 is journaled in a bushing 31 disposed in a web 32' formed in the bracket arm. The bushing is secured in the web by a set screw 33 in a threaded hole 34, which hole opens into the rear of the machine. It is customary in sewing machines of this type, for appearance and freedom from 2 snagging of work, that the set screw 33 be buried in the threaded hole 34.

The outer portion of the threaded hole 34 in this invention accommodates a threaded stud 40 formed at its outer extremity with a threaded portion 41 of reduced diameter. A screw driver slot 42 formed in the free extremity of the portion 41 is used to turn the threaded stud in the threaded hole 34 into a position tightly bottomed against the set screw 33. A cushioning pad 43 of flexible material is then applied over the threaded portion 41, with the stud 40' and the cushioning pad 43 being proportioned to position the cushioning pad against the inside of the light shade 27.

The cushioning pad 43 touching the lamp shade 27 provides a highly effective vibration dampener for the light fixture and also provides many other advantages.

This vibration damping expedient does not complicate the lighting fixture, nor does it impede removal of the lamp shade 27 and lens 26 for bulb replacement in the socket. The shade and lens may be removed readily by simply deflecting the lighting fixture slightly and drawing the lens and shade lengthwise out of the clips 25 and away from the socket 24.

An absolute minimum of cost and expense is involved in providing the vibration dampening means of the invention. No machining or other alteration is required on the sewing machine. The stud 40 is an item typical of that which may be manufactured completely automatically by modern screw-machinery. The cushioning pad 43 is preferably identical with that used as an anti-skid pad on the tubular machine supporting member 14; the pads 43, therefore, may be manufactured in quantity with consequent savings in cost. The pads 43 are substantially conical in shape and formed with an annular groove 44 near the base which, as illustrated in FIG. 3, locks in an aperture 45 formed beneath the tubular supporting member 14 when a pad 43 is used as an anti-skid pad.

The vibration dampening device of this invention may be applied quickly and easily, not only to new machines during assembly thereof, but also to existing machines in the field.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

In a sewing machine having a casing including a standard and formed with a tapped hole, and a bracket arm extending from said standard, a shaft bearing carried in said bracket arm and secured in place by a set screw threaded into said tapped hole in said bracket arm, a lighting attachment including a bulb socket and a light shade carried by said bulb socket, bracket means attached to said bulb socket, and means for securing said bracket means to said sewing machine casing adjacent to the juncture of said standard and said bracket arm to support said lighting attachment with said light shade substantially parallel to the sewing machine bracket arm, and means for damping vibration of said lighting attachment, comprising a threaded stud engaging said tapped set screw hole in said bracket arm, and a block of cushioning material formed with an aperture into which said threaded stud is forced, said cushioning member disposed on said stud in engagement with said light shade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,546,619 Chason July 21, 1925 1,948,336 Corrall Feb. 20, 1934 2,286,492 Langille June 16, 1942 2,620,434 Edmunds Dec. 2, 1952 2,782,298 Scholz et a1. Feb. 19, 1957 

